The View

 

The Virus does not Discriminate

George Floyd in his last 8 minutes

"It's my face man
I didn't do nothing serious man
please
please
please I can't breathe
please man
please somebody
please man
I can't breathe
I can't breathe
please
(inaudible)
man can't breathe, my face
just get up
I can't breathe
please (inaudible)
I can't breathe sh*t
I will
I can't move
mama
mama
I can't
my knee
my nuts
I'm through
I'm through
I'm claustrophobic
my stomach hurt
my neck hurts
everything hurts
some water or something
please
please
I can't breathe officer
don't kill me
they gon' kill me man
come on man
I cannot breathe
I cannot breathe
they gon' kill me
they gon' kill me
I can't breathe
I can't breathe
please sir
please
please
please I can't breathe"

Ode to All of US - PPE

Please place at your door the following PPE.

A big black plastic bag, for body armor, masks, gloves, eye protection, paper towels drenched with H2O and 10 % bleach in plastic bottle. Optional, fever thermometer, Tylenol, hand-sanitizer.

For anyone close to my house, who sends a photo of their readiness I will cook a soup if and when you were to need it and possibly be ready to do more for you. Please send to your friends.

Meanwhile read the classics, wash your hands, do your push-ups and start wearing your mask more often.

Yours truly,  Martina Konietzny

Bestoing my Honor on the Buttonwillow Tree in Buttonwillow

Yokut Native Americans historically met at a particular Buttonwillow tree in the eponymous town just off interstate 5 in central California.  We searched for this tree in eastern Kern County after viewing the apocalyptic oil and gas fields in McKittrick and found this California Historical Landmark site unsurprisingly, after a short search, on Buttonwillow Drive, carved into the east end of a farmer's field.  Only with a Desert Survivor would I go in search of THE Buttonwillow tree in Buttonwillow from which the city takes it's name! The contrails in the blue sky are the streaks of airplanes, zipping back and forth on cheap commuter flights adding to the plight of global protection. Consider AMTRAK next time or think if you really have to make that flight. Admiring the Buttonwillow Tree, I can forget for a moment, the ice caps melting and Eskimos having to wear swim vests so they will not drown in the melting permafrost.

Eastern Sierras from Ducks Lake to Iva Bell Hot Springs to Red's Meadow

Returning safely through a smoke filled sky over Yosemite, after having backpacked for 4 days trekking 31 miles in total. Elevations ranged from 6,000-11,000 feet with an aggregate elevation gain of 5900 feet .  We all managed to avoid high-altitude sickness while hiking six to seven hours per day averaging 1.7 miles per hour in up to 92 degree temperatures.  

Permit Station

We crisscrossed the John Muir and Ansel Adams wilderness areas from Ducks Lake to Iva-Bell Hot Springs taking in the beauty of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. The weather was threatening rain most of the way but fortunately it was held at bay. We crossed a waste high mosquito infested glacier cold river that made me roar like an animal. We frog-straddled over a log our guys placed over a 20 foot drop over a steep waterfall. While covered in a full mosquito suit, I bushwhacked through a fern swamp grove. 

When I came home I kissed my windows that keep the insects out. I bowed in front of my refrigerator and I greeted everyone in my household as if I had thought that I would never have seen them again.

If you think your life is hard try the hike above. 

Affen Zirkus "Monkey Business" in Germany

For a  long time I had trouble to get uninterrupted connection  to German radio WDR while keeping my phone in my pocket. To stay in close touch with the German "Dichter und Denker " world  and world politics I recently learned that wi-fi travels around head level in the most efficient way.
Now I can clean, garden, change bedding, wash windows and get furious about politics all at the same time while my phone is securely  ducktaped onto my bicycle helmet.